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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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — in sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. deal — to handle
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. season — of the year
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rock — a stone

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