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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mate — a partner
  5. firm — decided
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. firm — steady
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mate — to breed
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. snap — to click
  19. mate — a friend
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. firm — a company
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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