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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. firm — steady
  3. spell — letters
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. firm — decided
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. board — a committee
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cue — for pool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spell — magic
  16. board — to get on
  17. bear — the animal
  18. firm — a company

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