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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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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: wake · swing · shower · content · pass · date · tear · mark

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tear — to rip
  6. swing — music
  7. content — happy
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mark — a grade
  21. tear — from crying
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — the amount
  24. mark — a trace

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