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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — rain
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. file — a document
  11. bound — certain
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chip — to eat
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — to wash
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — the underground
  24. trunk — of a tree

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