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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. clip — a video
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. squash — to crush
  10. track — a song
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. track — a path
  13. tube — a container
  14. squash — the sport
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — for paper
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — the underground
  22. track — to keep track
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — to cut

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