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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. current — electric
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. object — a thing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. object — an aim
  9. current — happening now
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. object — to protest
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. current — of water
  24. kid — to tease

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