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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. content — the amount
  3. hand — help
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. row — to paddle
  12. content — happy
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. row — a line
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. shower — rain
  24. row — a quarrel

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