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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. row — a line
  9. pop — music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pop — soda
  12. row — to paddle
  13. present — there
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pop — to visit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. present — the time now
  19. bear — the animal
  20. plane — a tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. present — a gift
  24. perch — for a bird

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