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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. present — there
  3. last — final
  4. ball — a dance
  5. present — a gift
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lean — thin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — finally
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — the time now
  21. bear — the animal
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. ball — a round shape

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