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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. can — a tin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — low music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. content — the amount
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bass — the fish
  22. content — happy
  23. can — a tin
  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