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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — to go on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — finally
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. craft — a skill
  22. last — final
  23. ground — a position
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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