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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bear — the animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — of water
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. current — electric
  17. row — a line
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. current — happening now
  22. toast — bread
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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