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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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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: firm · season · straw · bound · land · cap · degree · object

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. object — an aim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. land — a country
  6. season — in sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. firm — steady
  9. bound — certain
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bound — tied together
  13. firm — decided
  14. object — to protest
  15. cap — a hat
  16. firm — a company
  17. degree — an amount
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cap — of ice
  20. land — to come down
  21. bound — obliged
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. land — ground

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