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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wound — an injury
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — low music
  11. snap — to click
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — belonging to me

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