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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fall — the season
  5. rock — music
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spring — of water
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fall — to drop

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