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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: bear · pit · racket · key · wind · fall · wound · lash

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fall — the season
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. racket — a loud noise

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