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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. clip — a video
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. clip — for paper
  17. dip — to sink
  18. march — music
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. clip — to cut
  22. march — the month
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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