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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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Word bank
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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: cue · tear · bear · game · wake · swing · date · stand

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bear — the animal
  5. swing — music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tear — from crying
  8. swing — in golf
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cue — a hint
  19. game — a match
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. date — the fruit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. 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