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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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. pitcher — in baseball
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. squash — the sport
  10. root — the cause
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. root — of a word
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. root — of a plant
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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