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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — a trail
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — to come down
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stock — shares
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. land — ground
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — a country
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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