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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. track — a path
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — a song
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. craft — a skill
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fine — all right
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — boats

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