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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cap — a hat

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