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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rash — a series
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rash — hasty
  20. band — a ring
  21. mug — a face
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. band — a music group

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