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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · key · pass · mug · trunk · bulb · land · cold

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. cold — an illness
  6. land — ground
  7. pass — a permit
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. key — in music
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cold — not warm
  23. land — a country
  24. trunk — of a tree

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