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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — electric
  4. bass — low music
  5. spell — magic
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chest — a box
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ground — crushed
  13. spring — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ground — a position
  17. current — of water
  18. spell — a short time
  19. current — happening now
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spell — letters
  23. spring — the season
  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