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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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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: fall · sharp · wind · nail · wound · pitcher · bear · tear

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wind — moving air
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — the season
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bear — to put up with

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