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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: pit · roll · mine · mouse · wound · deal · lash · tear

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wound — an injury
  11. roll — a list
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tear — to rip
  16. deal — to handle
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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