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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pit — in a race
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lean — thin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. branch — a division
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. land — to come down
  24. lean — to rest against

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