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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — a list
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. prune — to trim
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stock — shares
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — goods

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