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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: bound · stick · tear · wound · mark · bass · pop · season

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. season — of the year
  11. bound — tied together
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bound — certain
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bass — low music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — in sport
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — an injury

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