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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. bear — the animal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — to go on
  7. chip — for betting
  8. last — finally
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — to grow
  11. band — a music group
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. last — final
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chip — to eat
  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