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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — farmland
  8. spring — the season
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spring — a coil
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spring — of water
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to click

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