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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.

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: object · kid · ground · racket · fan · spell · bay · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spell — magic
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — to protest
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — the earth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kid — child
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spell — letters
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — a position
  24. bear — the animal

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