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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — there
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. present — the time now
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pop — soda
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. present — a gift
  13. bear — the animal
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pop — music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a document

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