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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — clothes
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lean — thin
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. suit — to fit
  24. mouse — the animal

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