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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — a series
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — a line
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cap — a hat
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cap — of ice
  22. band — a ring
  23. dip — to sink
  24. band — a music group

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