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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. field — for sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. field — farmland
  15. bound — obliged
  16. hand — help
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — certain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — the animal

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