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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: pit · pass · present · can · mark · bulb · wind · stem

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. can — a tin
  12. present — the time now
  13. can — a tin
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. can — to be able to
  17. present — there
  18. pit — a hole
  19. present — a gift
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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