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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — ground
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — a country
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bear — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — to come down
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — in a prison

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