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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — size or range
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. club — for golf
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — a box
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fork — in a road
  22. scale — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — for dancing

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