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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 120 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: ball · bear · present · pit · cold · branch · pass · leaves

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. present — there
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cold — not warm
  5. ball — a great time
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cold — an illness
  10. branch — a division
  11. ball — a dance
  12. present — a gift
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pit — in a race
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. present — the time now
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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