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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bore — to drill
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. roll — a list
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bank — for money
  12. spell — letters
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bore — to tire
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — a path
  24. dip — to sink

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