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

Word bank: wind · pit · cell · bat · scale · root · pass · bank

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bank — for money
  7. root — the cause
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. root — of a word
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pit — a hole
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cell — in biology
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. scale — in music
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bank — for money

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