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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. land — a country
  6. tube — a container
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. land — to come down
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bear — the animal
  14. land — ground
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. mug — a face
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mug — a cup
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mug — to rob
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. clip — for paper

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