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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. present — there
  4. spring — the season
  5. present — the time now
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. bear — the animal
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. present — a gift
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. spring — of water

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