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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — ground
  7. ground — crushed
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — a country
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — a position
  15. ball — a great time
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ball — a dance
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. land — to come down
  24. bore — to tire

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