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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — magic
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spell — a short time
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — on a finger

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