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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. present — there
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. present — a gift
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. file — a document
  19. present — the time now
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. march — the month

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