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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. land — to come down
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. land — a country
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. saw — the tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. band — a ring
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — ground
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rest — what's left

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