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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: rock · key · tear · present · row · deal · wound · dip

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. row — a line
  3. dip — to sink
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. key — the most important part
  6. tear — from crying
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. present — the time now
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. present — a gift
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — to paddle
  16. present — there
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. wound — an injury

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