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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: rock · pass · scale · season · bound · cap · clip · date

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bound — certain
  4. season — of the year
  5. clip — to cut
  6. season — in sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. bound — tied together
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. clip — a video
  12. rock — music
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pass — a permit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cap — a hat
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cap — a lid
  24. clip — for paper

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