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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — help
  5. spring — the season
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. spring — of water
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. march — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. march — the month

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