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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. suit — clothes
  6. spring — the season
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. content — the amount
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — a coil
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. spring — of water

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