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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. board — a committee
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. tube — a container
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tube — the underground
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. file — a document
  24. dip — to dunk

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