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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. bound — certain
  6. press — to push
  7. root — of a word
  8. spring — of water
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. press — a publisher
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. sharp — clever

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