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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mine — for digging
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. firm — decided
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. kid — child
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. firm — a company
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — to sink
  17. row — a line
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. firm — steady
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. dip — a sauce

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