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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fine — all right
  5. lean — to bend
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ball — a dance
  12. staff — employees
  13. lean — thin
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bear — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fine — high quality
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fall — the season

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