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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pass — a permit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. track — a song
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. root — the cause
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. root — of a plant
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tear — to rip
  22. root — of a word
  23. track — a path
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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