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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.

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: tube · wind · spell · bulb · sharp · dip · cold · fork

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. spell — a short time
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — letters
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — magic
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. wind — moving air
  24. sharp — exactly

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