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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fine — all right
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kid — to tease
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pound — a weight
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kid — child
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wound — an injury
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. tube — a container
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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