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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. present — a gift
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. roll — a list
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a hat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. roll — a cake
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. tube — in a tire

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