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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. track — a path
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a song
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — to come from
  13. track — to keep track
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bowl — a football final

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