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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. game — a match
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. field — farmland
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. game — wild animals
  15. field — for sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — a subject
  24. tear — to rip

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