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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 124 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. track — to keep track
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. track — a path
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — help
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bark — of a tree

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