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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: mug · chest · tear · bark · scale · safe · pass · last

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tear — to rip
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. last — to go on
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — a box
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. scale — in music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — size or range
  22. last — final
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tear — from crying

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