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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: wound · dip · present · deal · spring · track · last · fan

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — final
  4. spring — the season
  5. present — the time now
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. track — a path
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spring — a coil
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — a song
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. last — finally
  18. spring — of water
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. present — there
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. present — a gift
  24. wound — an injury

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