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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. kid — to tease
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. mark — a grade
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. field — a subject
  8. lean — thin
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. shower — rain
  12. mark — a trace
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. field — for sport
  17. kid — child
  18. bear — the animal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — farmland
  24. racket — for tennis

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