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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. spring — of water
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. object — a thing
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. dip — to sink
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bear — to put up with

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