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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pop — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. plane — a tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — to breed
  16. drill — the tool
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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