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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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 — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bound — obliged
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bound — certain
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bound — tied together
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bear — the animal
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. sharp — clever
  22. plane — a tool
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. straw — a straw man

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