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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. spring — of water
  4. fall — to drop
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fall — the season
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pop — soda
  14. fall — to drop
  15. row — a line
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — music
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bore — to drill
  24. row — a quarrel

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