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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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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: mark · bass · rest · bound · trunk · chair · field · season

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — of the year
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bound — certain
  10. bass — the fish
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bass — low music
  15. mark — a grade
  16. field — farmland
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rest — a break
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. season — in sport

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