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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. kid — to tease
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — child
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. tube — the underground

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