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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tube — a container
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pass — a permit
  24. lie — to recline

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