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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spring — the season
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. spring — of water
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. field — farmland
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wound — an injury
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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