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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: bulb · bore · clip · rush · season · content · bound · scale

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. clip — a video
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bound — certain
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bore — to drill
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bound — obliged
  21. clip — for paper
  22. season — in sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. season — of the year

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