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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: wound · ground · craft · swing · mug · dip · wake · patient

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mug — a cup
  4. ground — a position
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wound — an injury
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. swing — music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wake — a trail
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mug — a face
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. patient — a sick person

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