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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: safe · land · mouse · present · season · club · bore · current

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. club — a group
  4. land — a country
  5. bore — to tire
  6. season — of the year
  7. present — there
  8. current — happening now
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bore — to drill
  11. land — to come down
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. current — of water
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — electric
  18. club — for dancing
  19. land — ground
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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