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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. dip — to sink
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tear — to rip
  8. spring — the season
  9. band — a music group
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tear — from crying
  17. craft — boats
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spring — of water
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. band — a ring
  23. craft — a skill
  24. saw — the tool

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