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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: object · ground · roll · hide · clip · wake · pass · row

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — a position
  6. pass — a permit
  7. row — to paddle
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — crushed
  11. object — an aim
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. ground — the earth
  14. clip — for paper
  15. row — a line
  16. object — a thing
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. object — to protest
  22. roll — a cake
  23. clip — a video
  24. wake — a trail

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