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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mine — for digging
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fine — all right
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bound — obliged
  12. scale — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bound — certain
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. tear — from crying

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