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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. snap — to click
  6. fine — all right
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — hasty
  10. scale — in music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rash — a series
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. scale — for weighing

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