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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — ground
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — a permit
  6. tube — a container
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. land — a country
  9. content — the amount
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. content — happy
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. land — to come down
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wound — an injury
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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