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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. bear — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. drill — the tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. drill — army training
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. content — happy
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. content — the amount

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