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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cap — of ice
  3. kid — child
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. prune — to trim
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cap — a hat
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cap — a lid
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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