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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. squash — to crush
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. squash — the sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. can — a tin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stem — to come from
  18. spring — of water
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bore — to drill
  21. can — a tin
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. squash — the vegetable

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