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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 116 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: tube · drill · lean · dip · present · content · pop · last

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. last — to go on
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pop — to visit
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — a container
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lean — thin
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. present — the time now
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. drill — army training
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. drill — a practice
  18. content — happy
  19. tube — the underground
  20. content — the amount
  21. lean — to bend
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. drill — the tool
  24. present — there

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