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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. root — of a plant
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. root — of a word
  14. clip — a video
  15. spring — a coil
  16. root — the cause
  17. clip — for paper
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. saw — the tool

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