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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: pitch · dip · straw · spring · bear · ruler · pop · fall

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bear — the animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fall — the season
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitch — a sports field

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