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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. file — a document
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — letters
  9. file — a line of people
  10. club — for golf
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bound — certain
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. club — a group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. file — a tool
  20. kid — to tease
  21. spell — magic
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — a short time
  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