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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chest — a box
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — a video
  8. chest — of your body
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rock — music
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lash — an eyelash

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