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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 124 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mug — a face
  6. tube — a container
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — in sport
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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