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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: board · bat · date · spring · mug · hide · wound · pass

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spring — a coil
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mug — a face
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — the season
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — a committee
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. board — to get on
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bat — for baseball

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