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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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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: bass · bound · prune · season · cap · kid · hand · firm

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bound — certain
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. firm — a company
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — low music
  19. firm — steady
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bass — the fish
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. firm — decided
  24. cap — of ice

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