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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. net — for catching
  6. branch — a division
  7. net — after costs
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bound — obliged
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — in sport
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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