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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: tear · stand · content · dip · bound · bulb · bass · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bound — tied together
  4. content — happy
  5. bound — obliged
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — to rip
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bound — certain
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stand — to bear
  16. content — the amount
  17. bulb — for light
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bass — low music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bass — the instrument

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