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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: bear · pop · game · rest · cell · lean · stick · rash

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. game — a match
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pop — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rest — a break
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — soda
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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