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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lean — to bend
  4. ground — a position
  5. pop — music
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spring — the season
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — music
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. ground — the earth
  14. march — the month
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — of water
  18. lean — thin
  19. pop — soda
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bear — the animal
  24. calf — a young 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