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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. firm — decided
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. firm — steady
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a music group
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. drill — army training
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. drill — a practice
  21. firm — a company
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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