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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mug — a face
  4. spell — magic
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. spell — letters
  8. craft — a skill
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — boats
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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