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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. ground — a position
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. root — the cause
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bound — certain
  18. root — of a word
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bound — tied together
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spell — magic

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