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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: spring · squash · key · bulb · roll · tear · fine · pass

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. roll — a cake
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spring — the season
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — in music
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. roll — a list
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spring — a coil
  14. key — the most important part
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fine — all right
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fine — high quality
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. spring — of water

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