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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. firm — a company
  6. band — a ring
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. key — the most important part
  9. perch — the fish
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — to sink
  13. firm — steady
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. firm — decided
  16. key — for a lock
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. band — a music group
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. key — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — of a plant
  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