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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. spring — the season
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spring — of water
  9. rash — hasty
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. clip — a video
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. rash — a series
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. roll — a cake
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mark — a trace
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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