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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rush — hurry
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. craft — boats
  19. game — a match
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wind — moving air
  23. craft — a skill
  24. dip — to sink

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