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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 120 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: cell · kid · mate · fall · pass · bowl · wake · bear

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fall — the season
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kid — child
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bowl — a football final

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