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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: mine · rush · pass · arm · bore · wave · bay · cell

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cell — in biology
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bore — gave birth

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