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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a line of people
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. file — a tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bear — the animal
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rush — hurry
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a document
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bear — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wax — to grow

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