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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fall — to drop
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tube — a container
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. file — a document
  15. field — farmland
  16. file — a tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — a dish

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