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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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468
Word bank
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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cell — a phone
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. snap — to click
  13. bound — certain
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cell — in biology
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bound — obliged

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