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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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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stand — to bear
  10. band — a music group
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bore — to drill
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pass — to succeed

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