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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: sharp · season · bound · spring · coach · pass · ground · band

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — certain
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — crushed
  8. season — in sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. band — a music group
  13. bound — obliged
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. sharp — clever
  17. ground — the earth
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pass — a permit
  22. spring — of water
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bound — tied together

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