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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mug — a face
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pop — soda
  6. firm — decided
  7. pop — music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. march — the month
  12. firm — a company
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pop — to visit
  18. firm — steady
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — music
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. march — the month

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