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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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468
Word bank
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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — of a word
  9. game — a match
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. root — of a plant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. root — the cause
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — for a hammer

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