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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. toast — bread
  13. board — a committee
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. root — of a word
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. root — the cause
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bear — to put up with

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