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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. firm — steady
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. spell — letters
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — for sport
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fall — the season
  14. firm — decided
  15. field — farmland
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — a subject
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spell — magic
  23. fall — to drop
  24. firm — a company

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