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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stem — to come from
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mark — a trace
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ball — a great time
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. ball — a round shape

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