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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rest — a break
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — for light
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rash — a series
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. face — to confront
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — part of the head
  24. perch — the fish

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