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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.

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: bound · present · wound · staff · bulb · snap · season · tear

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bound — obliged
  4. staff — employees
  5. present — there
  6. wound — an injury
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — of the year
  9. bound — tied together
  10. tear — from crying
  11. present — a gift
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bound — certain
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. present — the time now
  22. season — in sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. tear — to rip

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