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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. lie — to recline
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rock — music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rock — a stone
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. degree — from a university
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bear — the animal
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — an amount
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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