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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 · perch · bound · pass · last · season · arm · staff

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. staff — employees
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — final
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pass — a permit
  12. season — of the year
  13. staff — a stick
  14. last — finally
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. last — to go on
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bound — tied together
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. perch — for a bird

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