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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. root — of a word
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wind — moving air
  8. drill — army training
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cap — a hat
  13. root — the cause
  14. content — happy
  15. rash — hasty
  16. root — of a plant
  17. board — a committee
  18. cap — of ice
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rash — a series

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