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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. root — of a word
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mate — a partner
  11. content — the amount
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wound — an injury
  14. band — a ring
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. band — a music group
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mate — a friend
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. root — of a plant
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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