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

Word bank: bark · pass · mark · wind · straw · cap

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wind — to turn a key

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