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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — a gift
  4. root — the cause
  5. bore — to drill
  6. last — final
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. last — finally
  9. spell — letters
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. present — the time now
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bore — to tire
  18. last — to go on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. dip — to sink
  24. present — there

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