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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · pass · bear · calf · lie · content · bark · mine

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. march — music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lie — to recline
  18. content — happy
  19. bear — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bark — to shout

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