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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: cold · bore · pass · staff · march · bank · bulb · race

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — an illness
  4. march — the month
  5. race — a contest
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. march — music
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. staff — employees
  12. bore — to tire
  13. staff — employees
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. staff — a stick
  23. race — humankind
  24. bank — of a river

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