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

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — final
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — finally
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. wax — to grow
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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