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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pass — a permit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. root — of a word
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. kid — child
  17. dip — to sink
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cue — for pool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. root — the cause
  24. cue — a hint

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