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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bear — the animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. march — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. drill — army training
  21. march — the month
  22. stem — to come from
  23. tear — from crying
  24. drill — a practice

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