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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. degree — temperature
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. lean — thin
  19. craft — a skill
  20. degree — from a university
  21. craft — boats
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. wound — an injury

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