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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pop — music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. pop — soda
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. spring — the season
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. suit — clothes
  24. spring — a coil

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