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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: wake · bat · pit · face · wave · branch · squash · pass

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pit — in a race
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. face — to confront
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pit — a hole
  20. squash — the sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wake — before a funeral

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