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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ground — a position
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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