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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. ball — a great time
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — a position
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ground — the earth
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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