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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: mark · row · tear · pop · spring · sharp · bear · mate

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pop — music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spring — the season
  7. mate — a partner
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pop — soda
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mark — a trace
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pop — to visit
  24. tear — to rip

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