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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a ring
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. band — a music group
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — child
  24. bear — to put up 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