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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. court — of law
  7. band — a music group
  8. tube — a container
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a tool
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. band — a ring
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. drill — the tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. drill — army training
  23. bear — the animal
  24. court — of a king

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