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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.

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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: object · row · bulb · pass · cold · stick · bank · pound

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. object — to protest
  14. row — a line
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. object — an aim
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bank — for money
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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