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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bound — certain
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stock — goods
  20. ground — a position
  21. stock — shares
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bound — tied together

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