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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cap — a hat
  4. march — the month
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pound — a weight
  23. march — music
  24. pound — for dogs

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