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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. land — ground
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — to come down
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — for a lock
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. land — a country
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — in a prison

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