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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 120 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: bear · bark · pop · plane · pass · last · hand · key

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. pop — soda
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. last — to go on
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. hand — help
  10. pass — a permit
  11. last — finally
  12. key — in music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pop — music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. last — final
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bark — to shout

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