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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mark — a grade
  7. land — to come down
  8. band — a ring
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. band — a music group
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stock — goods
  18. mine — for digging
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stock — shares
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. land — ground
  24. band — a rubber band

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