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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. spring — of water
  3. rock — music
  4. march — the month
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spring — the season
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — rain
  10. track — to keep track
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. track — a song
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. track — a path
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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