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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pit — in a race
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rash — a series
  24. pit — a hole

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