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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. prune — to trim
  12. swing — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mate — to breed
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fall — the season
  18. face — to confront
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. face — part of the head
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fall — to drop

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