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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. 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. cap — a lid
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bank — for money
  11. date — the fruit
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cap — of ice
  14. branch — a division
  15. bank — for money
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stock — goods
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. face — part of the head
  22. stock — shares
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. 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