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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. scale — size or range
  3. spring — the season
  4. scale — in music
  5. branch — a division
  6. cue — for pool
  7. last — to go on
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. last — finally
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pass — a permit
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. shower — to wash
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cue — a signal
  23. last — final
  24. leaves — lets stay

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