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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. rash — hasty
  7. face — to confront
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. band — a ring
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. present — there
  15. hand — in cards
  16. band — a music group
  17. charge — electricity
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. face — part of the head
  21. present — the time now
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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