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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bank — for money
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. roll — a list
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. tear — from crying
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mark — a grade
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bank — for money
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wave — with your hand

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