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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. present — a gift
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. present — the time now
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. game — a match
  19. mate — to breed
  20. present — there
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lean — to bend

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