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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stock — goods
  10. tear — from crying
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stock — shares
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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