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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — the season
  4. wound — an injury
  5. club — for golf
  6. band — a music group
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — a cake
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kick — in football
  14. roll — a list
  15. band — a ring
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. club — a group
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mouse — the animal

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