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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — for sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mug — a face
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — a cup
  17. court — of law
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ground — a position
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — of a king
  23. present — the time now
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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