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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: season · current · bore · track · date · content · coach · pound

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. track — a path
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bore — to tire
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. current — electric
  16. track — a song
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. season — in sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. content — happy
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pound — a weight
  23. content — the amount
  24. track — to keep track

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