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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. object — to protest
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — of water
  7. object — a thing
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. object — an aim
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mug — to rob
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bear — the animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spring — the season
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mug — a cup
  24. kid — child

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