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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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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: band · kick · mate · bulb · pass · wave · bear · tear

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mate — a partner
  9. band — a ring
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pass — a permit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kick — in football
  18. band — a music group
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tear — to rip
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — the animal

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