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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: season · bound · kid · board · track · lash · bass · rush

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bass — low music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rush — hurry
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. board — a committee
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. board — to get on
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. kid — child
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. bound — certain
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. track — a song
  22. kid — to tease
  23. season — in sport
  24. bass — the fish

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