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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. fall — to drop
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. craft — boats
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bear — the animal
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. spell — a short time
  11. content — the amount
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. content — happy
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fall — the season
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. spell — magic
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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