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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fork — in a road
  7. perch — the fish
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fall — the season
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — to sink
  20. staff — employees
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. band — a music group

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