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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cue — a signal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cue — for pool
  16. season — in sport
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — rain
  22. bank — of a river
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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