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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chest — a box
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chest — of your body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — rain
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wound — an injury
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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