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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. spring — a coil
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. face — to confront
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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