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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. bear — the animal
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pop — soda
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mark — a grade
  12. present — a gift
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mark — a trace
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pop — to visit
  23. craft — boats
  24. wind — moving air

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