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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chest — a box
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. field — for sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wake — a trail
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. drill — army training
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. drill — the tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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