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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fork — in a road
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. scale — in music
  16. band — a ring
  17. object — a thing
  18. band — a music group
  19. object — an aim
  20. wind — moving air
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. object — to protest

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