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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. present — there
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a tool
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. present — the time now
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. file — a document
  13. spring — the season
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spring — of water
  17. branch — a division
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spring — a coil
  20. present — a gift
  21. land — to come down
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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