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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. club — for golf
  6. net — after costs
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tube — a container
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bore — to tire
  20. net — in sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. net — for catching
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cell — in a prison

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