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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bank — for money
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bank — for money
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. swing — music
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. swing — in golf

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