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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spring — a coil
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spring — of water
  6. cell — a phone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fall — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — the season
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bulb — for light

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