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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bear — the animal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — the season
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spring — a coil
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spring — of water
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — a tool

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