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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 124 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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. craft — boats
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bound — certain
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lean — thin
  17. pass — a permit
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. craft — a handicraft

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