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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rest — a break
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. calf — of the leg

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