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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cue — for pool
  6. track — to keep track
  7. hand — in cards
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. hand — help
  10. bear — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cue — a hint
  15. track — a song
  16. tube — a container
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. track — a path
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cue — a signal

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