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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bat — the animal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. club — a group
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. spring — of water
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — a position
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. club — for golf
  24. pop — music

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