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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — for golf
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rush — hurry
  6. shower — rain
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. capital — a city
  12. root — the cause
  13. capital — money
  14. root — of a word
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. shower — to wash
  19. root — of a plant
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. capital — a big letter

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