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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. perch — the fish
  13. band — a music group
  14. bound — certain
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wind — moving air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bound — tied together
  23. band — a ring
  24. bound — obliged

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