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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. march — the month
  4. face — to point toward
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. face — to confront
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bat — the animal
  11. band — a music group
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. band — a ring
  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