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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a face
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mug — a cup
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. branch — a division
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cue — for pool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mug — to rob
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cue — a hint
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. field — a subject

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