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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pass — a permit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. cell — in biology
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. branch — of a tree

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