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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spring — of water
  5. cap — a hat
  6. net — for catching
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cap — a lid
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — final
  17. prune — to trim
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. dip — to sink
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — the season
  24. fan — to cool the air

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