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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. root — of a word
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — wild animals
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. root — the cause
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. game — a match
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fork — in a road
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fork — to eat with

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