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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rush — hurry
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mine — for digging
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wound — an injury
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rest — a break
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rush — to hurry

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