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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bass — the fish
  7. deal — to handle
  8. band — a ring
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. can — a tin
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. band — a music group
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. trunk — of a tree

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