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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. tube — a container
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bound — certain
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. sharp — clever
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — in sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. net — for catching
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wound — an injury

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