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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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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: march · spell · dip · nail · spring · pitcher

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. spring — the season
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — of water
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spell — magic
  18. dip — to sink

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