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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · prune · pop · vault · bore · hand · mouse · season

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. season — of the year
  4. bore — to tire
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pop — soda
  9. row — a line
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. season — in sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pop — music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com