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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bear — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — the season
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. land — to come down
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. chair — a leader
  15. land — a country
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bat — the animal
  21. land — ground
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spring — of water
  24. bear — the animal

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