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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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468
Word bank
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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wound — an injury
  4. club — for golf
  5. bear — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cap — a lid
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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