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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. present — a gift
  3. spell — a short time
  4. field — a subject
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. present — the time now
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — low music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rock — music
  21. present — there
  22. rock — a stone
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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