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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cold — an illness
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — to recline
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. shower — rain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. land — a country
  21. bear — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cold — the Cold War

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