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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spring — the season
  10. mug — to rob
  11. squash — to crush
  12. spring — of water
  13. mug — a face
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bound — certain
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the vegetable

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