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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spring — a coil
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spring — of water
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mug — a face
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mug — a cup
  22. spring — the season
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mug — to rob

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