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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. branch — a division
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. suit — in cards
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — a position
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. ground — crushed

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