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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 124 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. branch — a division
  6. spring — a coil
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — for betting
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chip — to eat
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — in a computer

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