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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rash — a series
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wound — an injury
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. row — a line
  14. wind — moving air
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bear — the animal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bear — to put up with

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