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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. squash — the sport
  3. land — a country
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. face — to point toward
  8. land — ground
  9. face — part of the head
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. face — to confront
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — a hole
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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