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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — thin
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — a stone
  14. suit — clothes
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. clip — a video
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rock — music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fork — to eat with

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