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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 124 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mug — to rob
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spring — of water
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rock — a stone
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fall — the season
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mug — a face
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — the season

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