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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kick — in football
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. wound — an injury
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. vault — a safe
  23. kid — child
  24. bound — tied together

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