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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spell — letters
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. net — for catching
  9. stand — to bear
  10. spell — a short time
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. net — after costs
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. track — to keep track
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. dip — to sink
  23. net — in sport
  24. spell — magic

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