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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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. can — a tin
  4. spring — of water
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. perch — the fish
  15. can — to be able to
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spring — the season
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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