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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · hide · season · row · board · degree · saw · bound

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — obliged
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bound — certain
  12. degree — temperature
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. degree — from a university
  18. season — in sport
  19. board — a committee
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. row — a line
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. board — to get on

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