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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · present · bear · can · date · club · spring · bowl

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. club — for golf
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. present — there
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. date — the fruit
  14. spring — of water
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — a coil
  19. club — a group
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. spring — the season
  23. present — a gift
  24. can — a tin

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