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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: cap · season · bound · shower · pitcher · clip · foot · bass

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bass — the fish
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. shower — to wash
  5. foot — a measure
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — low music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bound — certain
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — a video
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. season — in sport
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. shower — rain
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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