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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spring — of water
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. bore — to tire
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — to drill

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