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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: hand · dip · foot · wave · pit · stick · saw · press

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — in cards
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. press — to push
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pit — a hole
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pit — in a race
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. press — newspapers
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. hand — help

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