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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. can — a tin
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. dip — to sink
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. can — to be able to
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ball — a dance
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hide — animal skin

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