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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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468
Word bank
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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. drill — army training
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. drill — a practice
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — letters
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fall — the season
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. dip — to sink
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — magic

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