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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pass · fine · pitcher · stem · track · wave · cold · clip

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pass — a permit
  3. track — a song
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. clip — a video
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. track — a path

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