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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. spring — the season
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tear — from crying
  9. object — a thing
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. object — to protest
  12. spring — a coil
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. object — an aim
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spring — of water
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fall — the season
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — to drop

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