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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — in control
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bear — the animal
  16. band — a music group
  17. degree — from a university
  18. band — a ring
  19. charge — a price
  20. rash — a series
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rash — hasty
  24. degree — temperature

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