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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 124 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. band — a ring
  5. ground — a position
  6. kick — in football
  7. bank — for money
  8. rest — a break
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a music group
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — a weight
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bank — of a river

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