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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. root — of a word
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. present — a gift
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. firm — steady
  15. bear — the animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. present — the time now
  19. tube — a container
  20. root — the cause
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spell — magic

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