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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stock — shares
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ground — a position
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — music
  15. stock — goods
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. fall — the season
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ground — the earth

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