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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: bulb · staff · pass · wound · bat · march · can · bark

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. staff — a stick
  3. march — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. can — to be able to
  11. march — the month
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — for light
  24. can — a tin

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