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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — a division
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — tied together
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bound — certain

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