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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bear — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. suit — clothes
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cue — a signal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lean — to bend
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — thin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cue — for pool
  24. lean — to rest against

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