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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. track — a song
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — certain
  9. mine — for digging
  10. root — of a word
  11. swing — in golf
  12. root — the cause
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. swing — music
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. track — a path

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