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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: wound · pit · cold · season · pass · bore · bass · bulb

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bass — low music
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pit — in a race
  16. season — in sport
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. season — of the year
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bulb — for light

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