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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. race — humankind
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. land — a country
  5. race — the arms race
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. land — ground
  12. race — a contest
  13. stock — goods
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. land — to come down
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. band — a music group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. band — a ring
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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