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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. drill — a practice
  4. file — a document
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. craft — a skill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. drill — army training
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. bear — the animal
  21. craft — boats
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. pound — a weight

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