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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · hide · cabinet · tear · dip · capital

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — money
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a city
  12. tear — to rip
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. straw — a straw man

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