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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pass — a permit
  5. track — a path
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. squash — to crush
  19. track — a song
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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