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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. can — a tin
  3. club — for golf
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bear — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. plane — a tool
  11. club — a group
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. club — for dancing
  14. can — to be able to
  15. field — farmland
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. field — a subject

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