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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 · tear · straw · key · dip · spell · fall · bark

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pass — a permit
  4. spell — magic
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fall — the season
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. key — for a lock
  16. tear — from crying
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fall — to drop
  20. dip — to sink
  21. key — in music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pass — to spend time

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