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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spring — of water
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — there
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. present — a gift
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. kid — child
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spring — the season
  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