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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. chip — to eat
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — of the year
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fall — the season
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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