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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: fork · degree · bound · key · bass · cap · prune · spell

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fork — in a road
  8. key — for a lock
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cap — a hat
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — a short time
  14. key — in music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. degree — from a university
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bass — low music
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cap — a lid

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