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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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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: cold · bound · lean · hide · game · pass · bulb · stand

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bound — certain
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stand — to bear
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lean — thin
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a match
  23. pass — a permit
  24. game — a kind of play

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