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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rash — a series
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bank — for money
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bank — for money
  20. tube — a container
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mug — a cup
  24. tube — in a tire

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