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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rock — music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. roll — a cake
  7. spring — the season
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. club — for golf
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — to grow
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. club — a group

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