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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — a stick
  5. season — of the year
  6. bear — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — in sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. object — a thing
  15. land — a country
  16. object — an aim
  17. roll — a list
  18. bear — the animal
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cap — a hat
  21. object — to protest
  22. cap — a lid
  23. land — to come down
  24. cap — of ice

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