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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: branch · bear · lean · ball · pass · cabinet · last · staff

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. last — final
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. branch — a division
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — to go on
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. lean — thin
  21. pass — a permit
  22. last — finally
  23. staff — employees
  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