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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. can — a tin
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pass — a permit

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