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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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wind — moving air
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. wound — an injury
  8. track — a path
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pass — a permit
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. suit — clothes
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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