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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. present — there
  3. staff — a stick
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. staff — employees
  13. bear — the animal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. game — wild animals
  19. court — of a king
  20. staff — employees
  21. present — a gift
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. branch — of a tree

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