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

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chest — a box
  8. bark — to shout
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spring — a coil
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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