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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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Word bank
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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fall — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. drill — army training
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rule — government
  22. spell — letters
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rule — a law

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