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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wound — an injury
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. key — the most important part
  16. net — in sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. bound — obliged
  20. key — in music
  21. bound — certain
  22. net — after costs
  23. spell — letters
  24. net — for catching

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