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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: march · face · leaves · bank · bass · rest · cold · pass

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — not warm
  12. face — to confront
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rest — a break
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bank — for money
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. face — part of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — low music

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