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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. file — a line of people
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. file — a document
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. toast — bread
  16. file — a tool
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bank — for money
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bank — of a river
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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