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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. row — a line
  3. tube — a container
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. object — to protest
  8. deal — to handle
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tear — from crying
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. row — to paddle
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. dip — to sink
  17. scale — in music
  18. tear — to rip
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — the underground
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. scale — size or range
  24. dip — to dunk

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