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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. season — of the year
  5. land — ground
  6. face — to point toward
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. craft — boats
  9. bound — certain
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — a partner
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. land — to come down
  14. face — part of the head
  15. land — a country
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bound — obliged
  20. face — to confront
  21. bound — tied together
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. season — in sport

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