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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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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: rush · wound · plane · row · suit · pound · cell · lean

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wound — an injury
  4. row — a line
  5. lean — thin
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. suit — clothes
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. suit — to fit
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cell — in biology
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. suit — in cards

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