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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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468
Word bank
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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. scale — in music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. scale — size or range
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kick — in football
  24. scale — for weighing

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