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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · leaves · season · bound · pass · pop · fork · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pop — soda
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pop — music
  16. season — in sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bass — low music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pass — a permit

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