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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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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: bat · land · branch · rule · board · rash · scale · pass

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rule — a law
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — to come down
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. scale — size or range
  12. land — a country
  13. branch — a division
  14. board — a committee
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bat — the animal
  18. board — to get on
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pass — a permit
  24. board — a flat piece

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