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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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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — low music
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bass — the fish
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — rain
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. prune — to trim
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bark — to shout
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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