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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spring — a coil
  3. drill — a practice
  4. swing — in golf
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. present — there
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. drill — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. swing — to play on
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. drill — army training
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. swing — music

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