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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bore — to tire
  4. land — a country
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. land — to come down
  10. mug — a cup
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. file — a line of people
  13. land — ground
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. game — a match
  16. lean — thin
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mug — a face
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mug — to rob
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. wave — of the sea

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