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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rock — music
  3. land — a country
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. land — ground
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. land — to come down
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bear — the animal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. band — a music group
  17. tube — a container
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a ring

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