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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · bore · stand · pitch · bear · straw · sharp · object

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — the season
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spring — of water
  24. bore — to drill

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