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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rock — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. shower — to wash
  8. hand — in cards
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. shower — rain
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — help
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. staff — employees
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rock — a stone
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rest — a break

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