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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rock — a stone
  13. row — a line
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. row — to paddle
  16. season — in sport
  17. rock — music
  18. season — of the year
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — to grow
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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