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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — a friend
  5. tube — a container
  6. mate — a partner
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. root — the cause
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rock — music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. root — of a word
  24. saw — the tool

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