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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cap — a hat
  3. field — farmland
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. spell — a short time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rest — a break
  15. spell — magic
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — letters
  18. field — a subject
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — for sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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