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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cell — a phone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bound — obliged
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bear — the animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bat — for baseball

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