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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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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kid — child
  9. bound — certain
  10. season — of the year
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — to tease
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cold — not warm
  21. season — in sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bark — to shout

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