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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 · game · board · tube · bound · degree · fall · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. game — a match
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tube — a container
  9. bound — obliged
  10. board — a committee
  11. fall — to drop
  12. degree — temperature
  13. board — to get on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fall — the season
  17. game — wild animals
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. tube — the underground
  24. degree — an amount

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