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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bound — certain
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. track — a song
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — a path
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bowl — to roll

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