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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: bore · bay · mark · cue · degree · bass · season · spring

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bass — the fish
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. degree — from a university
  7. season — in sport
  8. cue — a signal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cue — for pool
  17. spring — the season
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. season — of the year
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. degree — an amount

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