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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. deal — to handle
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. prune — to trim
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. kid — child
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pound — a weight
  20. track — to keep track
  21. plane — a tool
  22. track — a song
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. track — a path

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