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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. swing — to play on
  3. craft — boats
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. current — happening now
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. swing — in golf
  8. current — of water
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — a position
  11. squash — the sport
  12. craft — a skill
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. swing — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — electric
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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