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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pass — a permit
  3. drill — the tool
  4. row — to paddle
  5. key — for a lock
  6. drill — army training
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. drill — a practice
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. row — a line
  21. key — in music
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. key — the most important part
  24. branch — a division

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