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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 124 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: cap · saw · content · shower · stick · ground · staff · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. content — the amount
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — of ice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ground — a position
  19. staff — employees
  20. shower — rain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. shower — to wash
  23. content — happy
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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