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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stem — to come from
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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