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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — rain
  4. spell — magic
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. date — the fruit
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — moving air
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spell — letters
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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