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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. tube — a container
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. clip — to cut
  5. craft — boats
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stock — goods
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stock — shares
  18. clip — for paper
  19. craft — a skill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. clip — a video
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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