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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bark — to shout
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. season — in sport
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — an injury

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