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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — of water
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spring — the season
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rash — a series
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wound — an injury
  20. shower — rain
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mark — a grade
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hide — animal skin

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