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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bank — of a river
  6. file — a document
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bank — for money
  11. bound — certain
  12. file — a tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bank — for money
  22. hand — help
  23. bound — obliged
  24. temple — a place of worship

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