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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. suit — to fit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. suit — in cards
  15. snap — to click
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. spring — of water

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