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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. can — a tin
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — in biology
  11. can — a tin
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. can — to be able to
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. bear — the animal

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