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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — to bend
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lean — thin
  10. band — a music group
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pit — a hole
  14. squash — to crush
  15. band — a ring
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pit — in a race
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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