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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — magic
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. object — to protest
  6. wound — an injury
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mug — a face
  12. object — a thing
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — thin
  15. spell — letters
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. object — an aim
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mug — a cup
  24. branch — a division

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