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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ground — the earth
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. season — in sport
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. snap — to click
  22. ground — a position
  23. season — of the year
  24. fine — all right

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