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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 120 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: coach · mark · season · calf · degree · pound · current · bound

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bound — obliged
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. current — of water
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mark — a grade
  14. current — happening now
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bound — tied together
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — certain
  23. current — electric
  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