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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. ground — a position
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pop — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — all right
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wind — moving air

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