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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rock — a stone
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rock — music
  13. kick — in football
  14. staff — employees
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — letters
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spell — magic
  24. row — to paddle

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