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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mate — a partner
  7. squash — to crush
  8. row — to paddle
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mate — to breed
  11. row — a line
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stem — to come from

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