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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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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: present · row · kick · jam · fall · wake · plane · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. kick — in football
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. present — the time now
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — a trail
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — the season
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a line

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