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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. file — a tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mine — for digging
  13. file — a document
  14. season — of the year
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. file — a line of people
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. season — in sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. staff — employees
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wave — with your hand

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