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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — a container
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. drill — army training
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. field — farmland
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. field — for sport
  19. drill — the tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cap — a hat
  24. foot — a measure

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