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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. row — a line
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. club — for golf
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bulb — for light
  14. dip — to sink
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pass — a permit
  18. clip — a video
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. clip — for paper
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. club — a group
  24. bank — of a river

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