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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — from a university
  4. sharp — clever
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bass — the fish
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bass — low music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bound — certain
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. band — a music group
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bass — the instrument
  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