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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: cold · stick · wave · bat · bear · roll · foot · bound

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bear — the animal
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bound — certain
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bound — tied together
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bear — to put up with

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