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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. object — an aim
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. current — electric
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — a thing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — happening now
  15. ball — a great time
  16. object — to protest
  17. fall — the season
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. current — of water
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. band — a rubber band

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