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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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. stock — a soup base
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mine — for digging
  6. perch — the fish
  7. track — a path
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a song
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — shares
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stock — goods

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