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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 wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spring — of water
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pass — a permit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. perch — the fish
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bass — low music
  17. spring — the season
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. clip — a video
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wake — a trail

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