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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — a cake
  3. object — an aim
  4. race — a contest
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. race — the arms race
  8. roll — a list
  9. bore — to tire
  10. race — humankind
  11. wound — an injury
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bank — for money
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mine — for digging

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