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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. perch — the fish
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. field — farmland
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spring — of water
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — for sport
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. field — a subject
  24. hand — in cards

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