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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spring — the season
  4. net — in sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. drill — army training
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spring — of water
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — for catching
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. net — after costs
  21. tube — the underground
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. drill — the tool

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