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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ground — crushed
  4. drill — the tool
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pass — a permit
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bass — low music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. branch — a division
  16. ground — a position
  17. drill — army training
  18. root — of a word
  19. bass — the fish
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. ground — the earth
  23. drill — a practice
  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