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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pop — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pop — soda
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pop — to visit
  17. row — a line
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. band — a ring
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mine — for digging
  23. row — to paddle
  24. roll — on a roll

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