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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. season — of the year
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bulb — for light
  13. dip — to sink
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — in sport
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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