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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. band — a music group
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spell — magic
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. can — a tin
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. band — a ring
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. spell — letters
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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