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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hand — in cards
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mark — a grade
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. row — a line
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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