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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spring — the season
  4. clip — for paper
  5. foot — a measure
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — of water
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bore — to drill
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. clip — a video
  19. spring — a coil
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bore — gave birth

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