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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bore — to tire
  7. kick — in football
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stem — to come from
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. capital — a city
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — with a leg

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