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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a document
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. branch — a division
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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