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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 116 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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468
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: pit · saw · mine · wound · object · mug · tear · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. object — to protest
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. saw — the tool
  8. row — a line
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. object — an aim
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wound — an injury
  18. object — a thing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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