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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bore — to tire
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. swing — to play on
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chest — a box
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. swing — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — to drill
  23. can — a tin
  24. bear — the animal

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