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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. present — the time now
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. present — there
  12. drill — army training
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. present — a gift
  21. bat — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — of a tree
  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