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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. track — to keep track
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mate — a friend
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. dip — to sink
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — to dunk

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