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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a list
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. spell — letters
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. face — to confront
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pit — in a race
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. spell — magic

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