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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 120 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: fall · mate · wound · bear · court · pass · bulb · perch

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — the season
  5. court — for sport
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. court — of a king
  16. mate — a friend
  17. court — of law
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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