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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — rain
  4. root — of a plant
  5. row — to paddle
  6. club — for golf
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cap — a lid
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. root — of a word
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. root — the cause
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cap — of ice
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cap — a hat
  22. club — a group
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. row — a line

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