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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cap — of ice
  7. hand — help
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spell — magic
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. cap — a hat

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