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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. clip — a video
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. band — a music group
  10. hand — help
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — a stick
  13. band — a ring
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. clip — for paper
  18. branch — a division
  19. pass — a permit
  20. staff — employees
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. staff — employees

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