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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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. row — a quarrel
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. swing — in golf
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rule — government
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cap — a hat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — a law
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cap — of ice
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. row — a line
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cap — a lid
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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