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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hand — help
  4. bank — for money
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pit — a hole
  7. field — farmland
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rest — a break
  15. bank — of a river
  16. field — a subject
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bank — for money
  19. field — for sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rest — what's left

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