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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — to protest
  3. wound — an injury
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ground — crushed
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — low music
  10. object — a thing
  11. ground — a position
  12. can — to be able to
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. can — a tin
  16. file — a tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bass — the fish
  21. file — a document
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. file — a line of people
  24. object — an aim

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