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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. object — to protest
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pop — soda
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mine — for digging
  11. dip — to sink
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. row — a line
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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