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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rash — a series
  14. fall — the season
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bark — to shout
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bowl — a football final

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