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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — of ice
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a city
  8. file — a tool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cap — a hat
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. file — a document
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — a lid
  21. branch — a division
  22. capital — money
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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