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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — to come from
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. swing — music
  23. file — a document
  24. stem — a stem cell

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