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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · sharp · mine · tube · wound · rush · present · game

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tube — the underground
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. game — a match
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. present — the time now
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. tube — a container
  19. rush — hurry
  20. roll — a list
  21. wound — an injury
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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