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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. can — a tin
  3. object — an aim
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wound — an injury
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bear — the animal
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cold — an illness

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