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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.

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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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. fall — to drop
  4. tear — to rip
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. net — for catching
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — a city
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. tear — from crying

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