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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 116 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: cabinet · pass · mate · wound · perch · cold · wake · fall

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fall — the season
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mate — a friend
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wound — an injury

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