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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. file — a document
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. capital — money
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wax — to grow
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. file — a tool
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cell — in biology

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