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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mark — a grade
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cell — a phone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. march — music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fall — to drop

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