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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: face · band · dip · pass · kid · march · lash · track

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. track — a song
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. march — music
  9. kid — child
  10. band — a music group
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. track — to keep track
  14. dip — to sink
  15. track — a path
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kid — to tease
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pass — a permit
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a ring
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. march — the month

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