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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bear — the animal
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. band — a music group
  15. race — the arms race
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bear — the animal
  18. vault — a safe
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. race — humankind
  24. band — a ring

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