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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. track — a song
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. court — of law
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. row — a line
  24. track — a path

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