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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 116 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ground — the earth
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. ground — crushed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ground — a position
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bear — to put up with

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