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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ground — the earth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ground — crushed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lean — thin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. perch — the fish
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ground — a position
  24. hand — part of the body

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