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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — a coil
  7. last — to go on
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. last — finally
  14. lean — thin
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bear — the animal
  24. last — final

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