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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. can — a tin
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spring — of water
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. can — a tin
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mark — a grade
  20. lean — to bend
  21. snap — to click
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — thin
  24. bark — of a tree

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