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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. club — a group
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fall — the season
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pop — soda
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pop — to visit
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pop — music
  22. club — for golf
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fall — to drop

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