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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · bear · wound · pass · snap · wake

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spell — letters
  13. snap — to click
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spell — magic
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bear — the animal

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