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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pop — soda
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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