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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wind — moving air
  3. field — farmland
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bound — certain
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mark — a trace
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fall — the season
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bound — obliged
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bound — tied together
  17. field — for sport
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fall — to drop

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