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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. row — to paddle
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. file — a tool
  16. branch — a division
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. row — a line
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a document

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