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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. can — a tin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rush — hurry
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. board — a committee
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bound — certain
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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