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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: leaves · rash · season · mark · row · date · bore · pound

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. season — in sport
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. date — the fruit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. season — of the year
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. season — to add flavour

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