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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. shower — to wash
  3. season — of the year
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — steady
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. firm — decided
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. wind — moving air
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. firm — a company
  24. branch — of a bank

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