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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mug — a face
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. face — to confront
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lean — thin
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fine — all right
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. dip — to sink
  21. field — for sport
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. face — part of the head
  24. lean — to bend

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