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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bore — to drill
  3. band — a ring
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. march — music
  9. land — a country
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pass — a permit
  14. march — the month
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — ground
  20. snap — to click
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bulb — of a plant

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