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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tube — a container
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. staff — a stick
  8. dip — to sink
  9. club — a group
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. staff — employees
  14. lean — thin
  15. rest — a break
  16. club — for golf
  17. tube — the underground
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. hand — help
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rest — what's left
  24. staff — employees

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