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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. can — to be able to
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wound — an injury
  16. scale — in music
  17. can — a tin
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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