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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cell — a phone
  6. drill — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. band — a music group
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. band — a ring
  15. plane — a tool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — a practice

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