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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. content — happy
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — in music
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — a country
  16. content — the amount
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — for weighing

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