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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. tear — to rip
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wind — moving air
  17. firm — decided
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. firm — a company
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — a permit
  24. hand — help

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