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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — thin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. shower — rain
  6. net — in sport
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. spring — a coil
  9. net — for catching
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. toast — bread
  12. stem — to come from
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spring — the season
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spring — of water
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. face — part of the head
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lean — to bend

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