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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.

Make a worksheet

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: shower · mug · mark · wound · staff · pass

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. shower — rain
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — a face

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