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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 120 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — a practice
  13. perch — the fish
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. band — a music group
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. drill — army training
  19. wake — a trail
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. band — a ring
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. drill — the tool

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