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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. last — final
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — for digging
  7. squash — to crush
  8. last — to go on
  9. bear — the animal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kick — in football
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spell — magic
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — finally
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spell — letters
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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