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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — a gift
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pass — to spend time

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