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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. present — the time now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — for light
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rest — a break
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. face — to point toward
  16. band — a music group
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. face — to confront
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. band — a ring
  22. bulb — for light
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. present — a gift

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