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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mug — to rob
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chest — a box
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mug — a face
  13. tube — a container
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bark — to shout
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wax — for sculpting

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