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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: band · bound · bear · hide · wake · clip · degree · season

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. degree — temperature
  3. band — a ring
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. clip — to cut
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. degree — from a university
  11. clip — a video
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bound — tied together
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bound — certain
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. season — of the year

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