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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. face — part of the head
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bear — the animal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hand — help
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. face — to point toward
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. craft — boats
  24. saw — the tool

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