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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: arm · bass · cell · bear · drill · temple · pass · wind

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cell — in biology
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. drill — army training
  14. wind — moving air
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bass — low music

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