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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spring — a coil
  3. saw — the tool
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. deal — to handle
  6. spring — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a tool
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spring — the season
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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