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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. row — a line
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mark — a grade
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. hide — animal skin

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