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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mark — a trace
  8. row — to paddle
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mug — to rob
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — certain
  13. row — a line
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. spring — the season
  16. mug — a face
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bound — tied together
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mug — a cup
  23. spring — of water
  24. mark — to pay attention

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