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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 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fall — to drop
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bulb — for light
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a music group
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. craft — boats
  16. fall — to drop
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fall — the season
  21. last — finally
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. dip — to sink

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