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

Word bank: wound · bay · trunk · pit · season · deal · wake · wind

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. deal — to handle
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wound — an injury
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. wake — before a funeral

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