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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: spring · arm · pass · mug · stick · rash · staff · pitcher

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — a coil
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mug — a face
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pass — a permit
  17. spring — the season
  18. staff — employees
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spring — of water
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitcher — in 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