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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. row — to paddle
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. date — the fruit
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. branch — a division
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. row — a line
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rest — a break
  21. shower — rain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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