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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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 — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. present — a gift
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. cap — of ice
  13. present — there
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. face — part of the head
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. face — to confront
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a music group
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rock — a stone
  22. present — the time now
  23. bear — the animal
  24. face — to point toward

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