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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bass — low music
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. prune — to trim
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spell — magic
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rush — hurry
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spell — a short time
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spell — letters
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. vault — a safe
  21. tear — to rip
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bass — the instrument

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