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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a music group
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. band — a ring
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a match
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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