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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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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 · stand · fall · mouse · pop · fork · stick · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fall — the season
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pop — soda
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. stand — to bear

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