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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: spring · wound · object · mate · dip · firm · hand · wake

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. firm — steady
  3. object — a thing
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. firm — decided
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. spring — of water
  11. hand — help
  12. firm — a company
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mate — a partner
  15. hand — in cards
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. object — an aim
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wake — a trail
  21. spring — the season
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. object — to protest

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