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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rock — music
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spring — the season
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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