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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. game — a match
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rest — what's left
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — help
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. game — wild animals
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. degree — from a university
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rest — a break
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — temperature

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