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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — to confront
  6. track — to keep track
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. branch — a division
  13. spell — letters
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chest — a box
  22. face — to point toward
  23. track — a song
  24. face — part of the head

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