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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 116 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lie — to recline
  6. present — there
  7. drill — army training
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. charge — electricity
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. present — the time now
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spring — of water
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. present — a gift

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