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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 120 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. cell — in biology
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bank — of a river
  5. squash — to crush
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bank — for money
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bank — for money
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. row — a line
  18. cell — a phone
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. row — to paddle
  23. coach — a trainer
  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