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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. kid — to tease
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. clip — for paper
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitch — completely
  17. branch — a division
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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