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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. club — a group
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. club — for golf
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. dip — to sink
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mine — for digging
  12. board — to get on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. prune — to trim
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. board — a committee
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stem — to come from
  24. club — for dancing

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