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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. date — the fruit
  6. row — a line
  7. tear — to rip
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — a container
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. tear — from crying
  17. craft — boats
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. craft — a skill
  24. row — a quarrel

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