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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 · pit · last · cold · mug · season · calf · bark

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mug — a cup
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cold — not warm
  21. season — in sport
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — final

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