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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. degree — from a university
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bear — the animal
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. band — a music group
  10. cold — an illness
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. band — a ring
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. degree — temperature
  24. band — a rubber band

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