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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. hand — help
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. key — the most important part
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — in cards

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