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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. capital — a city
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a face
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. wind — moving air
  24. prune — to trim

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