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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: bass · pit · dip · pass · face · tear · saw · bear

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bass — low music
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. face — to confront
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pass — to succeed

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