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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. object — an aim
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. object — to protest
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. object — a thing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — belonging to me

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