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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kick — in football
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a cup
  7. spring — of water
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mug — a face
  13. spring — the season
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. 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