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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — army training
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. club — for golf
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bound — obliged
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bound — tied together
  23. club — a group
  24. drill — the tool

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