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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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 — to put up with
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. file — a tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rest — what's left
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bear — the animal
  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