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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — army training
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. can — a tin
  9. rush — hurry
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. season — of the year
  15. root — of a word
  16. can — a tin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. drill — the tool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. drill — a practice

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