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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. staff — employees
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. squash — the sport
  7. clip — a video
  8. squash — to crush
  9. snap — to click
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. staff — a stick
  13. clip — for paper
  14. season — in sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wind — moving air
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — employees
  22. season — of the year
  23. clip — to cut
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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