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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fall — the season
  4. spring — the season
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — ground
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spring — of water
  14. bound — obliged
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — the animal
  18. land — a country
  19. swing — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mate — a partner

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