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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lean — thin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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