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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. degree — from a university
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. last — to go on
  7. tear — to rip
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mug — a face
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. last — final
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mug — a cup
  18. degree — an amount
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — finally
  24. safe — out of danger

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