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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. band — a ring
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — magic
  8. can — a tin
  9. scale — in music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. chair — a leader
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bark — to shout
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. band — a music group
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bark — of a tree

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