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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · spring · foot · pitcher · craft · mine · nail · wind

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. spring — a coil
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. craft — boats
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. dip — to sink
  22. spring — the season
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spring — of water

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