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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: pass · scale · lash · last · cell · band · bear · toast

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cell — in biology
  4. band — a music group
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bear — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — to go on
  16. toast — bread
  17. scale — in music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. scale — for weighing

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