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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. object — an aim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. spell — a short time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spell — magic
  10. bore — to drill
  11. object — to protest
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. object — a thing
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. firm — decided
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bear — the animal

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