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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bear — the animal
  10. last — final
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fork — in a road
  14. band — a ring
  15. last — finally
  16. can — to be able to
  17. band — a music group
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — to go on
  20. can — a tin
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ground — a position
  24. fork — to eat with

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