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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: wound · bank · content · bay · mouse · hand · pass · date

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bank — for money
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. content — the amount
  16. hand — help
  17. content — happy
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bank — for money
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mouse — the animal

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