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

Word bank: bass · bound · bulb · rock · rest · season · deal · clip

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rest — a break
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. bound — certain
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rock — music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rest — what's left
  18. deal — to handle
  19. season — in sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rock — a stone

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