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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cell — in biology
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bass — low music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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