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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lie — to recline
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. content — happy
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pound — a weight
  20. content — the amount
  21. wax — to grow
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wax — for sculpting

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