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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — final
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lean — thin
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lean — to bend
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. branch — a division
  23. last — to go on
  24. scale — in music

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