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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a dance
  3. court — of a king
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hand — help
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. branch — a division
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. court — of law
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tear — to rip
  24. court — for sport

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