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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. object — a thing
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. object — to protest
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. saw — the tool
  10. object — an aim
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spell — magic
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spell — letters
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rash — a series
  24. foot — part of the body

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