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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to click
  4. current — happening now
  5. bound — certain
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. current — of water
  8. net — after costs
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. current — electric
  12. bore — to tire
  13. plane — a tool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — for catching
  19. shower — rain
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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