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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. game — wild animals
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. game — a match
  15. spell — magic
  16. plane — a tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. shower — to wash
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mine — for digging

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