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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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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: spell · cue · wound · stand · tear · wake · bear · dip

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. tear — to rip
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bear — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cue — a signal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spell — magic

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