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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — the season
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — of water
  9. charge — a price
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rush — hurry
  12. charge — in control
  13. object — to protest
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. object — a thing
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. object — an aim
  24. spring — a coil

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