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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — in sport
  3. land — ground
  4. bore — to tire
  5. last — finally
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. net — after costs
  10. land — to come down
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. bear — the animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rock — music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bore — to drill
  23. plane — a tool
  24. land — a country

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