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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 120 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: sharp · wound · pop · hand · scale · lean · wind · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. scale — in music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pop — music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lean — to bend
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cell — a phone
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pop — soda
  24. hand — help

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