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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stand — to bear
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — to go on
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wound — an injury
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. craft — boats

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