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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — a gift
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fall — to drop
  5. scale — in music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — the time now
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — to come from
  15. key — in music
  16. fall — the season
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. key — the most important part
  23. present — there
  24. mouse — the animal

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