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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. tube — the underground
  9. land — ground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — a country
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cap — a hat
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fork — in a road
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. land — to come down
  24. bear — the animal

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