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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. bowl — to roll
  3. ground — crushed
  4. tube — the underground
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. file — a document
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a line of people
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. tube — a container
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. file — a tool
  21. ground — a position
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. prune — to trim
  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