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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 116 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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. file — a tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. last — to go on
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. spring — a coil
  14. last — finally
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a document
  17. spring — the season
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — final
  24. field — a subject

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