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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: tear · bank · pass · staff · prune · board · dip · bound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pass — a permit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. staff — a stick
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — for money
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bound — certain
  11. staff — employees
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tear — to rip
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. board — to get on
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. board — a committee
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pass — to succeed

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