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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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468
Word bank
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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. row — a line
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. row — to paddle
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wind — moving air
  14. degree — temperature
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bear — the animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cue — a signal
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wind — to turn a key

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