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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — a series
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pass — a permit
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tear — to rip
  10. branch — a division
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rash — hasty
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — to spend time

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