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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. file — a tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wake — a trail
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bound — certain
  21. file — a document
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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