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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.

Make a worksheet

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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — magic
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — an aim
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. object — to protest
  14. can — a tin
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — a short time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. spell — letters
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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