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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. hand — help
  15. roll — a list
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. squash — the sport
  19. row — a line
  20. hand — in cards
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. nail — for a hammer

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