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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rash — a series
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bound — certain
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bound — tied together
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — to crush

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