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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: pass · racket · content · cabinet · wound · mark · wake · bear

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pass — a permit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mark — a trace
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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