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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — a practice
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. firm — steady
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — music
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rash — a series
  11. prune — to trim
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. firm — a company
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. current — electric
  21. drill — army training
  22. current — happening now
  23. firm — decided
  24. current — of water

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