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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. object — to protest
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. object — an aim
  7. key — for a lock
  8. staff — a stick
  9. key — the most important part
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. object — a thing
  14. spring — of water
  15. key — in music
  16. spring — the season
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spring — a coil
  22. staff — employees
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wave — of the sea

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