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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. spring — a coil
  5. band — a music group
  6. cue — a hint
  7. lean — to bend
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. lean — thin
  10. band — a ring
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — a trail
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. dip — to sink

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