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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. content — the amount
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. clip — to cut
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. clip — a video
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — a coil
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. spring — of water
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. snap — to click
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. content — happy
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bear — the animal

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