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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · rash · bulb · wound · wake · track · plane · wind

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. track — a path
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — a song
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — a series
  10. wind — moving air
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — a trail
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. plane — an aircraft

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