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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: degree · row · season · spring · board · bound · object · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spring — the season
  3. degree — temperature
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. spring — of water
  7. board — a committee
  8. row — to paddle
  9. object — an aim
  10. present — a gift
  11. object — a thing
  12. present — the time now
  13. board — to get on
  14. bound — obliged
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. spring — a coil
  17. object — to protest
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — a line
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. degree — from a university

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