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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. deal — to handle
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tube — the underground
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. tube — a container
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bass — low music

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