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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 120 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: band · fall · bay · cold · ground · mark · pass · bank

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bank — for money
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. band — a music group
  7. ground — a position
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bank — for money
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fall — the season
  17. ground — the earth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pass — to succeed

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