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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. last — final
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spring — a coil
  14. last — to go on
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. last — finally
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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