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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. clip — a video
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. key — for a lock
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — to come from
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. key — in music
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cold — an illness

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