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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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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rash — a series
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bank — for money
  7. rash — hasty
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bass — low music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wax — to grow
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bank — of a river
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. content — the amount
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bass — the fish
  22. content — happy
  23. bank — for money
  24. deal — an agreement

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