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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. firm — steady
  3. spell — letters
  4. firm — decided
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — a container
  12. craft — boats
  13. firm — a company
  14. mate — to breed
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mate — a friend
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. file — a tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. bear — to put up with

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