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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: fan · branch · track · pit · staff · pass · march · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pass — a permit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. staff — a stick
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. branch — a division
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — music
  16. track — a path
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. staff — employees
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pit — a hole
  21. march — the month
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. staff — employees

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