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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. scale — in music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — a series
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. spring — of water
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spring — the season
  14. scale — size or range
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — letters
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rash — on the skin

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