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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: cell · root · mate · bulb · pass · bound · swing · last

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cell — in biology
  7. root — the cause
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — final
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mate — a friend
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cell — a phone
  14. swing — music
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. root — of a word
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bound — certain
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — tied together
  24. swing — to play on

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