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

Word bank: wind · bowl · current · dip · content · cell

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — the amount
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cell — in biology
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. content — happy
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison

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