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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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. field — a subject
  4. suit — clothes
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stand — to bear
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. field — for sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — farmland
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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