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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. wake — a trail
  5. field — for sport
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mug — a face
  13. root — of a plant
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. root — the cause
  16. field — a subject
  17. root — of a word
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. field — farmland
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — to move gently

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