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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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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: bound · spell · key · land · wound · bulb · tear · pass

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — to come down
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bound — certain
  9. land — a country
  10. spell — letters
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spell — magic
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tear — from crying
  22. key — in music
  23. land — ground
  24. bound — obliged

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