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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — low music
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. charge — a price
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. rock — a stone
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. charge — in control
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rock — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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