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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: content · staff · pass · rash · cap · net · branch · lean

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. net — after costs
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. staff — a stick
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lean — thin
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — a division
  14. content — the amount
  15. net — in sport
  16. content — happy
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rash — a series
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — for catching
  24. lean — to rest against

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