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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — moving air
  6. track — to keep track
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — a song
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. band — a music group
  20. track — a path
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a ring
  24. saw — the tool

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