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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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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 · bulb · content · track · cabinet · perch · wound · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. track — a path
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bulb — for light
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. content — the amount
  13. perch — the fish
  14. content — happy
  15. track — to keep track
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wound — an injury
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — a song
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bulb — of a plant

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