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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: bass · bulb · suit · season · board · degree · bound · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bound — certain
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bound — tied together
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — an amount
  19. season — of the year
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bass — low music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. board — a flat piece

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