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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wound — an injury
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. craft — a skill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. perch — the fish
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — help
  15. chip — to eat
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chip — for betting
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — boats
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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