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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mark — a grade
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — a container
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. face — part of the head
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. face — to confront
  16. tube — the underground
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. face — to point toward
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spring — a coil

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