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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. staff — employees
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pop — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pop — soda
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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