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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: pass · spring · face · object · staff · firm · cap · stick

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. object — an aim
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — of water
  6. staff — a stick
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. firm — a company
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. object — to protest
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spring — a coil
  18. object — a thing
  19. firm — decided
  20. spring — the season
  21. firm — steady
  22. staff — employees
  23. face — to confront
  24. cap — a hat

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