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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. object — to protest
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spell — magic
  8. spring — of water
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. object — an aim
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. spell — letters
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pop — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. object — a thing

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