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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: field · roll · fine · season · wake · bound · bore · present

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bore — to drill
  7. field — for sport
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. roll — a list
  10. present — there
  11. bound — obliged
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. bound — certain
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. season — of the year
  20. bore — to tire
  21. field — farmland
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fine — high quality
  24. season — in sport

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