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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — a trace
  8. band — a music group
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — thin
  14. band — a ring
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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