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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stem — to come from
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. craft — a skill
  7. row — a line
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. craft — boats
  11. club — for golf
  12. capital — a city
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. club — for dancing
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — a group
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stem — a stem cell

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