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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. staff — employees
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. drill — a practice
  7. staff — employees
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. drill — the tool
  12. snap — to click
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cold — an illness
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cell — in biology

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