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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: stick · march · face · object · game · pass · branch · pop

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — the month
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. face — to confront
  9. object — an aim
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. branch — a division
  12. object — a thing
  13. march — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — to point toward
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pop — music
  21. march — the month
  22. face — part of the head
  23. object — to protest
  24. pop — to visit

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