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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 116 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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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: pit · bark · cap · perch · band · last · firm · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. last — finally
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — a permit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — final
  8. firm — steady
  9. band — a ring
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bark — to shout
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. firm — a company
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cap — a hat
  16. perch — the fish
  17. last — to go on
  18. band — a music group
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. firm — decided

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