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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spring — of water
  3. drill — army training
  4. fine — high quality
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. club — for golf
  17. rush — hurry
  18. row — to paddle
  19. spring — the season
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. spring — a coil
  22. row — a line
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fine — all right

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