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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bear — the animal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. drill — army training
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tube — a container
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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