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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mug — a face
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pass — to spend time

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