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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: mine · cap · face · nail · pass · lean · jam · branch

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. branch — a division
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mine — for digging
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. lean — thin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cap — a lid
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pass — to spend time

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