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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. march — music
  9. bank — of a river
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — the season
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spring — of water
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wind — moving air

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