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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — the season
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spring — a coil
  9. squash — the sport
  10. face — to point toward
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. branch — a division
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rash — hasty
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. spring — of water
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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