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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. last — finally
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. present — there
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. present — the time now
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. present — a gift

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