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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — to crush
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bulb — for light
  5. drill — the tool
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wake — a trail
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — army training
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stock — goods
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. shower — rain
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bulb — of a plant

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