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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. snap — to click
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bear — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. prune — to trim
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — to sink
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. face — to confront
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. tear — to rip

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