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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. degree — from a university
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bore — to drill
  12. degree — an amount
  13. last — to go on
  14. bore — to tire
  15. last — finally
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — final
  18. can — a tin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. degree — temperature
  24. can — to be able to

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