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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bore — to drill
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bore — to tire
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. face — to confront
  18. pass — a permit

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