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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rock — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pound — a weight
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — music
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — a video
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wound — an injury
  22. clip — for paper
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bulb — of a plant

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