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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. spring — of water
  10. scale — in music
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. lie — to recline
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. scale — for weighing

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