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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bulb — for light
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bore — to drill
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. dip — to sink
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mark — a grade
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mark — a trace
  24. squash — to crush

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