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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. band — a ring
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mark — a trace
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mark — a grade
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wound — an injury
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. band — a music group
  23. wound — an injury
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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