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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: file · temple · spell · can · pound · bore · track · season

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. track — a song
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spell — magic
  9. can — a tin
  10. bore — to tire
  11. can — to be able to
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — to keep track
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bore — to drill
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spell — letters
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. track — a path
  24. file — a document

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