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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cap — of ice
  3. spring — the season
  4. file — a document
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. file — a tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — ground
  20. spring — of water
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. file — a line of people

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