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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rest — a break
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. band — a music group
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hand — help
  20. band — a ring
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. lean — to bend

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