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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · row · present · bay · wave · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. 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. pass — to succeed
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cell — a phone
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. present — there
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. row — a line
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. present — the time now
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. present — a gift
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. 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