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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — final
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. root — of a word
  11. rest — what's left
  12. object — an aim
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — the animal
  15. object — a thing
  16. rest — a break
  17. kick — in football
  18. object — to protest
  19. last — to go on
  20. root — the cause
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. root — of a plant

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