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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cell — in biology
  3. kid — child
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wax — to grow
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. staff — employees
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cell — a phone

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