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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pop — soda
  4. bank — for money
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. row — a line
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pop — music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — to paddle
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bank — for money

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