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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. band — a music group
  9. tube — a container
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. band — a ring
  12. swing — to play on
  13. dip — to sink
  14. swing — music
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stem — to come from
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bark — of a tree

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