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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. branch — a division
  7. lean — thin
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spring — of water
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. tube — a container
  15. spring — the season
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tube — the underground
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. branch — of a tree

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