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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a music group
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. snap — to click

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