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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — magic
  10. toast — bread
  11. spell — letters
  12. clip — to cut
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. clip — for paper
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — a video
  24. shower — to wash

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