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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 120 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tube — a container
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. row — a line
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — for digging
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. craft — boats
  18. row — to paddle
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rock — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — a stone

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