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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: mark · date · leaves · pound · cell · dip · pass · perch

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mark — a trace
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mark — a grade
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cell — in biology
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. perch — for a bird

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