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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spring — of water
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. object — to protest
  5. spring — the season
  6. bark — to shout
  7. object — a thing
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bear — the animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. prune — to trim
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. band — a music group
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. object — an aim
  19. band — a ring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bear — the animal

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