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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. ground — the earth
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bore — to drill
  19. swing — to play on
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bass — low music
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bass — the fish

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