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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a song
  9. wound — an injury
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — a path
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bear — the animal
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. track — to keep track
  21. dip — to sink
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cell — a phone

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