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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. last — to go on
  6. face — part of the head
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. firm — decided
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. firm — a company
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mug — a face
  16. firm — steady
  17. last — final
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mug — a cup
  21. last — finally
  22. mug — to rob
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. band — a rubber band

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