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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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Word bank
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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. staff — employees
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spell — magic
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. bear — the animal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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