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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stem — to come from
  7. craft — a skill
  8. band — a ring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mate — a partner
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. craft — boats
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pitch — completely
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stem — of a plant

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