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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lean — to bend
  3. branch — a division
  4. last — final
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. club — for dancing
  7. last — finally
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. club — a group
  11. pass — a permit
  12. lean — thin
  13. club — for golf
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pass — to spend time

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