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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a match
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. game — wild animals
  7. tube — a container
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bank — for money
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bank — for money
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wound — an injury

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