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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. season — of the year
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bound — certain
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bass — the fish
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. degree — from a university
  19. season — in sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. degree — an amount

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