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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. foot — a measure
  3. field — farmland
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mug — to rob
  6. season — in sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. press — to push
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — a subject
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — of the year
  14. field — for sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mug — a face
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. press — a publisher
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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