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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spell — magic
  5. dip — to sink
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — letters
  8. field — a subject
  9. march — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. field — farmland
  13. lean — to bend
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spell — a short time
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lean — thin
  20. field — for sport
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bear — the animal

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