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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. toast — bread
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spring — the season
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rest — what's left
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. shower — rain
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spring — of water
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wound — an injury
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rest — a break
  24. snap — to click

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