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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lean — to bend
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stock — goods
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — to wash
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — rain
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. trunk — of a car

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