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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pop — to visit
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. race — humankind
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. arm — part of the body

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