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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a tool
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. degree — an amount
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. degree — temperature
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. file — a document
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bulb — for light

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