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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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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: pass · ruler · leaves · fall · clip · spring · chair · game

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spring — the season
  3. clip — a video
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. game — a match
  10. spring — of water
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pass — a permit
  13. fall — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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