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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bear — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. perch — the fish
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. band — a music group
  12. date — the fruit
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pop — music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. band — a ring
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bear — the animal

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