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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — a series
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. can — a tin
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — a match
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hand — part of the body

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