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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — finally
  5. shower — rain
  6. last — final
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. craft — a skill
  9. last — to go on
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. dip — to sink
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. snap — to click
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. shower — to wash

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