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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. club — for golf
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — to visit
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pop — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — a group
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wind — moving air
  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