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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · season · cap · bulb · deal · cold · bore · bound

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — not warm
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bound — tied together
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — of ice
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bore — to drill
  19. season — of the year
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bulb — for light
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bound — obliged
  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