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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. toast — bread
  11. tube — a container
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. hand — help
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. field — a subject
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. field — for sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — in cards

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