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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: rock · lean · ball · march · pass · clip · spring · rush

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. rock — music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. lean — thin
  6. spring — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. spring — a coil
  11. march — the month
  12. spring — the season
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. march — music
  16. clip — a video
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pass — a permit
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. lean — to bend
  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