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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. rash — hasty
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. content — the amount
  5. net — in sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. net — for catching
  8. spring — a coil
  9. snap — to click
  10. bank — of a river
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. net — after costs
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bank — for money
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bank — for money
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rash — a series
  21. content — happy
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. spring — the season
  24. wax — in the ear

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