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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. last — to go on
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — money
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. face — to confront
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — final
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. capital — a city
  23. last — finally
  24. capital — a big letter

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