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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. current — of water
  3. squash — the sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. current — electric
  6. spell — letters
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. current — happening now
  15. spell — magic
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to sink
  22. squash — to crush
  23. temple — side of the head
  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