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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — a subject
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — a lid
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bear — the animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wave — of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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